Around The World (Wide Web): Schedule, Salaries, Gasol, D’Antoni

From Ross Gasmer, Lakers Nation: The long awaited schedule release happened yesterday as Laker fans got to circle when Dwight Howard returns to Staples Center as well as Metta World Peace. With 29 nationally televised games, it’s clear everyone is interested in the Lakers, regardless if they’ll sink or succeed this season. At first glance, the schedule looks to be quite difficult at of the gate and the final stretch doesn’t look too inviting either. Regardless, with all the change this off-season, several new Lakers will make returns to their former homes as we take a look at the Lakers who are trending up and down.

From C.A. Clark, Silver Screen & Roll:The other night, I was lazily half paying attention to The Daily Show, as I am wont to do, when I heard a familiar name pop up in an altogether unfamiliar place. I paused, rewound, and confirmed my ears did not deceive me; for some strange reason, John Oliver was talking about Dwight Howard. (13:30 mark). He was doing so because Howard’s decision to choose the Houston Rockets over the Los Angeles Lakers made its way onto Fox Business Channel, who highlighted a report by anti-tax advocates Americans for Tax Reform claiming Howard’s choice as a victory for the “No State Income Tax” policy of Texas over the “High State Income Tax” policy of California. The quick breakdown is this: Despite the fact that the Lakers could offer Dwight a larger contract, both in length and in annual salary, California’s high state income tax rate (especially on the very wealthy like Dwight, who pay a marginal tax rate of 13.3% ), in comparison to Texas’ lack of state income taxes, would cause Dwight to take home less money at the end of the day as a Laker then he would as a Rocket.

From Dave McMenamin, ESPN LA: Tears welled up in Pau Gasol’s eyes following a Lakers shootaround back in May, 2012. Gasol was to receive the NBA’s J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, recognizing his efforts in promoting programs aimed at children’s nutrition and education, later that evening and even though the Lakers were in the midst of a playoff series with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Gasol got emotional when he thought about the children with whom he’d come in contact through his charitable work in places like South Africa, Angola and Ethiopia, as well as in hospitals throughout the U.S.

From Broderick Turner, LA Times: When the NBA released its 2013-14 regular-season schedule Tuesday, it made sense that the Lakers would host the Clippers in a nationally televised game Oct. 29 at Staples Center in the season opener for both teams. After all, the arena rivals appear to be going in different directions, with the Clippers being on the rise and the Lakers at the crossroads for one of the few times in their storied history. New Clippers Coach Doc Rivers, the re-signed Chris Paul, All-Star Blake Griffin and the team’s cast of returning and new players will have 21 nationally televised games, showing just how far this franchise has come and how high the expectations are.

From Zach Harper, CBS Sports: The Los Angeles Lakers are starting a new season. This isn’t a joke about how many restart buttons they seemed to hit throughout the 2012-13 season, when injuries and cohesion issues plagued their championship expectations. The Lakers are actually beginning anew, and without Dwight Howard, who left LA for the Houston Rockets this summer. Mike D’Antoni missed the Lakers’ training camp and preseason, taking over for the fired Mike Brown 10 games into the regular season. If he’d had that preparation time, maybe he could have found a way to implement an attack with both Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol when they were on the floor. Instead, it sounds like the Lakers’ latest coach had to try to recruit Howard by going through him more and away from Gasol as the team began courting their free agent-to-be months before he hit the market.